Cons

Bottom Line

This 315-room, 15-story affordable hotel has small standard rooms that make the most out of the space and a great location a mere block from the Boston Common. Free extras like Internet access, rollaway beds, and coffee help keep costs down -- and make us wish more hotels did the same.

Oyster Awards

Flights for this trip with Skyscanner.com

Oyster Hotel Photos

Oyster Hotel Review

Rooms are small but use their space well, and freebies like Internet access, coffee, and rollaway beds help keep costs down.

The 315-room, 15-floor Courtyard Marriott doesn't offer rooms that you'd want to lounge around in, or a nightlife scene or a celebrated restaurant, or anything else that might qualify as a "hotel experience" -- nor does it purport to. The hotel knows exactly what it is: a budget option for business travelers looking to stay close to downtown, or leisure travelers who want to stay near Boston Common. If you plan on spending very little time in your room, and expect from your hotel only a comfortable place to crash, with a kind, efficient staff, then the Courtyard Marriott is a great option.

The rooms have a sort of ketchup-and-mustard color scheme, and although they're quite small (ranging from 185 to 336 square feet) and have small windows that don't let in much light, they're well laid out, with just enough space where you need it. My bathroom wasn't cramped, the extendable desk provided plenty of workspace, and there was a big armoire (in lieu of a closet). The king-size bed was comfortable, with 300-thread-count linens. There are no minibars in the rooms, but there is a minimarket in the surprisingly large and theatrical lobby.

Aside from the reasonable price, there are a number of other added values at the Courtyard: The hotel doesn't charge for Internet access (there is Wi-Fi throughout the hotel), whereas the slightly more expensive Doubletree across the street charges per day and the glitzy brand-new W Hotel next door charges even more. There's free coffee in the rooms and the lobby. And the breakfast buffet is free for kids 12 and under. Cribs and rollaway beds are also free, but one warning if you're traveling with kids: The standard king-size room isn't large enough to accommodate a rollaway; you'll need a room with two double beds.

As far as budget options go in Boston, the Courtyard Boston Tremont is one of the best values you'll find. The location is great, as can be attested by its gleaming new neighbor, the W Hotel. And it's typically a good deal cheaper than the Doubletree across the street.

Right in the heart of the Theater District, one block from the Boston Common

The Courtyard Marriott has a phenomenal location in the heart of the Theater District, just over a block south of the Boston Common and the start of the Freedom Trail, as well the upscale shopping in historic Back Bay; the location is so prime, in fact, that a shiny new W Hotel opened just up the street (for a lot more money). Within walking distance are countless bars, some of the city's main theaters and concert venues, and plenty of restaurants and shops, including City Place Food And Shops, a sort of giant food court with P.F. Chang's, California Pizza Kitchen, Rock Bottom Brewery, Starbucks, and more.

Two nearby stops on the T (Boston's subway system): one directly across the street at the New England Medical Center, one a block North at the bottom of the Boston Common

Just over one block to the 50-acre Boston Common, the country's oldest park and the start of the Freedom Trail

15 minutes via the T to Symphony Hall, the Museum of Fine Arts, and Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox

Five minutes on the T or a 10-minute walk to the Financial District

12 minutes on the T or an eight-minute drive to TD Garden, home of the NHL's Boston Bruins and the NBA's Boston Celtics

15 minutes on the T or a five- to 10-minute drive to the New England Aquarium